Sayyadieh

'Sayyadieh' translates as 'fisherman's catch' or 'fisherman's dish. The combination of spiced rice and pan-fried fish is a Palestinian favourite in the coastal towns of Jaffa, Haifa and Akka. The choice of fish depends, traditionally, on what's been caught that day. Here, we've used a combination of white fish and prawns, but other combinations - calamari and prawns or two kinds of white fish, for example - also work well. Getting ahead: The nuts can be toasted and the onions can be caramelised with the cinnamon sticks a day ahead, if you like. Doing this will take 30 minutes off your prep time when it comes to making the dish. Playing around: Tahini sauce (see page 87) is lovely drizzled on top before serving, for a rich addition.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Place a small frying pan on a medium heat and add 10g of butter. Once melted, add the nuts and fry for about 7 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.

Step 2

Put 3 tablespoons of oil and 20g of butter into a large, high-sided sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cinnamon sticks and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often, or until sweet, softened and deeply browned. Add the chilli, garlic and allspice and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice, stir through and cook for another 90 seconds, to toast.

Step 3

Add the water, saffron, 1½ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper.

Step 4

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 12 minutes.

Step 5

While the rice is cooking, put 1½ teaspoons of oil into a large frying pan and place on a high heat. Put the fish into a large bowl and combine with the ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of cumin, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Once hot, add half the fish and fry for about 2-3 minutes, turning halfway through, or until golden on both sides but not cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, then add another 1½ teaspoons of oil to the pan and continue with the remaining fish. Wipe out the pan: you'll be using this again for the prawns.

Step 6

Once the rice is ready, uncover the pan and add the fish, gently pushing the rice around to tuck half the fish into the rice - the rest can sit on top. Increase the heat to medium, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the remaining 10g of butter, and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.

Step 7

In a large bowl, mix the prawns with 1 tablespoon of oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon of cumin, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Place your frying pan on a high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the prawns, in two batches, for 2-3 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

Step 8

Transfer to a medium bowl, mix through the lemon juice and half the parsley, and set aside.

Step 9

To serve, transfer half the rice to a large serving platter along with the white fish. Top with half the nuts and half the prawns and follow this with the remaining rice, nuts and prawns. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve, with the wedges of lemon alongside.